Tottenham fan group demand government answers over THIRTY SIX questions ahead of Carabao Cup final

Published on: 09 April 2021

The Tottenham Hotspur Supporters' Trust has hit out at the government's handling concerning the return of fans ahead of this month's Carabao Cup final at Wembley.

The group has demanded a response to what they claim are 36 unanswered questions for the test event which will be one of the first games to see fans welcomed back into stadiums for the first time this year when Spurs take on Manchester City on April 25.

In the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, supporters had briefly been allowed to return at a capacity of 2,000 in late November and early December before a national lockdown was reintroduced.

Current plans see around 8,000 supporters expected to be allowed to attend the Wembley clash - although only half of those tickets are expected to go towards fans of either side, with the other half going towards NHS staff and local residents in nearby Brent.

The THST have been left frustrated by the government as well as public health authorities over the lack of communication with fan groups ahead of the event.

They claim they have failed in providing detail into allowing the public to have the highest amount of confidence in how the event will go ahead, as well as using the test event's results as accurately as possible to limit the possibility of Covid-19 infections.

'We believe the failure of the Government and public health authorities to properly consult with football supporters’ organisations threatens to have a negative impact on both of those outcomes,' a statement said on their website.

'Throughout the crisis, supporters’ groups have shown a willingness and ability to put public health first.

'Our knowledge and willingness to play our part could have been used productively. Instead, once again, supporters have been utterly disregarded – something that is even more worrying and insulting when spectators are being subjected to a mass experiment.'

Among the THST concerns are around the allocation and pricing of tickets for the final, how testing for Covid-19 will be carried out among fans travelling from all around the country and potentially overseas, as well as potential social distancing and mask use once inside the stadium.

Other issues concern the use of public and private transport, whether a staggered arrival and departure system will be enforced and if any hospitality venues will be open for the event.

THST, which holds regular meetings with Tottenham, state they are in talks with the club over their plans on how to distribute their allocation of tickets for the game.

This also includes on how fans can apply, the potential pricing structure and a returns policy should a positive test restrict a supporter from attending.

The group also took aim at Brent Council for their lack of communication as well as the Football League for ignoring supporters.

'Fan organisations know how important it is to put public health first. Because we’re the public too,' the Trust added.

'And that’s why we should have been consulted alongside all other stakeholders from the very beginning of the planning process. Instead, the public health authorities have not contacted us.

'The local authority, Brent Council, has continued its policy of refusing to talk to football fans. And we have learned that competition organisers the English Football League does not think fans are "relevant stakeholders”.

'We could have helped save a lot of time and effort had we been properly consulted. We could have made a positive contribution to an event that had the confidence of the public, and which returned a better quality of research. The fact that we haven’t indicates either arrogance or carelessness. Neither inspires confidence.

'We are now focussed on ensuring as many tickets as possible go to the fans of each club, and that those who are lucky enough to attend are fully aware of the risks they are taking and the experiment in which they are participating.'

Since the THST publication, Football League chief executive Trevor Birch has admitted that there are still many factors concerning supporters still yet to be decided.

He said: 'Covid-safe transport is being discussed. Unfortunately, I can't go into the details because it is still in train. It's obviously quite a complicated process. There are a lot of stakeholders involved in the discussions.'

Birch went on to say he 'imagined' fans would be put in bubbles and not permitted to mix inside the stadium. He added: 'All will be revealed in the next week or so, in terms of the dos and don'ts.'

Sportsmail have contacted Brent Council for comment.

Source: m.allfootballapp.com

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